The Family

2333 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is a family

Is ‘the family’ dying out in modern Britain or is it just changing? The family can be defined as having two people or more, who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption, and who all live together. The 1980 Current Population Survey stated that ‘unrelated subfamilies are not included in the count of families or the count of family members’. (Census, Guidance and Methodology, 2011). The typical family used to be the nuclear family but statistics show that nowadays only 20% of them are, and the majority is not. This shows a large pattern of family diversity within modern Britain. Within the past 20 years there have been some major changes to family structures in modern Britain, which include the large rise in divorce rates; there has been a big increase in the number of women working, availability of contraception and equal rights. Within some communities different types of family change and as they become more urbanised then the family size tends to decrease. I am going to study different perspectives, including Functionalist, Marxist and feminist views on the family. Functionalists see the family as based on a value consensus which is where there is a community which has a set of shared values and norms which allows society to work together to achieve the needs of the society. Functionalists also believe that families that include both a mother and a father playing their relevant roles are extremely important for the family and also for the wider society and community. Within the family the mother and father teach the children certain norms and values which are needed to help society to be maintained, so Functionalists say that both the mother and father figure need to be present within a child’s life so that it helps them to... ... middle of paper ... ...ue to the Children and Adoption Act 2002. Also because of the divorce act another family type that has become more common is the single parent family and this may be because the divorce process is a lot easier to complete. Overall I think that the family isn’t dying out, it is just changing structures and types and this can be because of the introduction of new laws and also the change of laws and policies. In addition to this many people do not feel as if they have to be part of the nuclear family as there is a lot more choice and variety in modern Britain, and I feel that the nuclear family is no longer the norm in today’s society like it used to be. In conclusion to this a quote from the BBC states that ‘So while the traditional model of a family may no longer be true in modern Britain, the modern family continues to raise happy, successful children’. (BBC, 2009)

Show More
Related

  • Betty G. Farrell's Family: Idea Institution, And Controversy?

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection

    Read More

  • Nuclear Families In The 1950s

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    “In the 1950’s, 86 percent of children lived in two-parent families, and 60 percent of children were born into homes with a male breadwinner and a female homemaker” (Conley 451). In contrast, “in 1986, fewer than 10 percent of U.S. families consisted of a male breadwinner, a female housewife, and their children, a figure that has since fallen to 6 percent” (Conley 455). Modern families come in all shapes and sizes. They no longer follow the strict nuclear family layout. There are many reasons why the nuclear family is no longer the most common family type. Some of these reasons include increased divorces, increased acceptance of different sexual orientations, increased amount of couples choosing not to get married/common-law marriages, increased amount of people choosing not to have children (rise of birth control methods), increased amount of families with both parents working/needing to work, etc. Personally, I do not believe the decrease in the nuclear family model is a bad thing. By definition a family is just a group of people who are related or married/in a relationship and it can still be a healthy and well-functioning unit no matter the size or combination of people it is made up

    Read More

  • Media Assignment 1: Media Influence On Family

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are three types of theoretical perspective. 1. Functionalism, 2. Conflict, 3. Symbolic Interactionism. All of the theses functions help preserve social stability and keep a society working. These perspectives are very important to analysis the important factors about family values and family structure. According to the book first, primary rules for social function of the family is socializing children. Second is to have an emotional and practical support which related to Functionalist perspective. Meaning provides shelter, food, clothes, love, comfort and etc. The functionalist perspective emphasizes the interconnectedness of our society by mostly focusing on how everyone is included with the others in society. The other sociological aspects from the family perspective are the Conflict Perspective. In contrast, the conflict perspective views society as composed of different groups and interest competing for power and resources. This theory explains the various aspect of our social world. For an example: feminist argue that we live in the society where only men have the power or control in the relationship. The last but not least is the symbolic interactionist perspective, which explains how the social problems are affected at the

    Read More

  • Shameless Family: Destructive And Dysfunctional Family

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    It contains adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults” (p.1). Parents are the main influence in a child’s life and have the responsibility to be affectionate and nurturing towards their children. Conversely, dysfunctional parents with destructive influences tend to have troubled kids. Depending on the child’s social environment, there are some children in this world whom are not as fortunate enough to have a loving mother and father. The functionalist perspective focuses on keeping the family functioning regardless of the dysfunctions that can occur. (Bereska 10) A dysfunctional family is a threat to the stability of the greater society. However, from this functionalist perspective other structures come in by filling in the gaps that are missing in order to restore normality/ the

    Read More

  • Applying the Sociological Imagination to Sole-parent Familes

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families, also known as a nuclear family are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by m...

    Read More

  • Family Structure During The Shakespearean Era

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    The nuclear family throughout history is consistent. Each home is comprised of parents and children. Today, the gender roles have changed and been accepted by many. For instance, recently it has been made possibly for two men or women to marry and have a family, where in history this was frowned upon. Also, women have become stronger individuals who ordinarily have jobs the same as men. Childhood nowadays is looked at as a time to enjoy yourself with no worries, where in the past this was the beginning of your whole life. Children are not expected to get jobs and learn how to run a house; they are supposed to play and not have a worry on their mind. Family relationships have continued to be a crucial part of every person’s life. From Shakespearean Time to the 21st Century, a nuclear family subsists of parents and their children, but fortunately their roles and identities have changed. Thankfully, family’s uphold to be a unit working together, with roles that have amended to keep equality, and a positive existence for all

    Read More

  • Defining Family

    1913 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today, in a world of the “postmodern family” the traditional lines of family structure are blurred. Children may come from diverse types of homes, or a couple, married or not may choose to have no children and consider themselves a family. The roots of these modern families may stem from ethnic origins, sexual orientations, or even seen as a rebellion of sorts from traditional ways. Children may live in homes of single parents, which is an exceedingly more common phenomenon as the divorce rate well publicized at around fifty percent. They may also live with homosexual parents either as a biological child of one partner or adopted by both. Also, the traditional married couple may choose to adopt locally or internationally, potentially blending ethnic backgrounds into one household. Whatever the background of the new nuclear family the challenges and experiences follow similar patterns.

    Read More

  • The Nuclear Family is No Longer the Norm in Modern Britain

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    (The word is not really used today, as it can be offensive to single women, although some cultures still choose to use it.) Nowadays, nuclear families are NOT the norm AT ALL. In fact, there are so many different types of families. There are single parent families, adopted families (where the child/children has been adopted), foster families (where the child/children has been fostered), gay and lesbian families, reconstituted (otherwise known as stepfamilies) and many many more. Personally, I think that the reason why nuclear families are no longer the norm in modern Britain is because of the different

    Read More

  • Sociology of Family

    1149 Words  | 3 Pages

    "A family is a small social group of people related by ancestry or affection, who share common values and goals, who may live together in the same dwelling, and who may participate in the bearing and raising of children. They have a physical or emotional connection with each other that is ongoing" (Vissing, 2011) and is the foundation of all societies. They can be formed by a grouping of father-mother-children or even more complicated combination of relatives. In the primary stage of family life in the United States, everyone from every generation lived together in one house. Subsequently, the idea of traditional family evolved and a married couple with children is at present, often called the traditional family. There are many types of families; however, this paper will focus on the traditional family. It will describe how the functionalist perspective, conflict perspective, and the interactionism theory apply to the sociological institution known as a family. It will explain some of the similarities and differences between the sociological theories in regards to families and how they affect the family members.

    Read More

  • Development of My Personal Core Values

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    The family is the main agent of socialisation and an institution. (Giddens, 2013:339). As children, we rely on our family to fulfil basic needs. We all need guidance, and more importantly we also require nurturing to become healthy adults. The definition of family varies across cultures. However, the family is sensitive to change and, therefore, not static. The structure of the family has changed, and culture and society are now more accepting of the fact that people now choose to cohabit, rather than marry. (Haralambos & Holborn 2009:3). In 2013, there were nearly 1.9 million lone parent households with dependent children in the United Kingdom; a figure which has steadily increased over the years (Office of National Statistics 2013). The rise in lone parents has brought about greater acceptance of pregnancies that do not have to involve marriage although acceptance is not the concern. A study suggests that….

    Read More

  • Essay On Family

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the 1920’s and 1930’s the stock market crashed and the Great Depression, family had to change their life style a bit. In What We Really Miss About the Stephanie Coontz 1950’s by Stephanie Coontz, “a bare majority of children had to come live in a family with a male breadwinner, a female homemaker and a chance to at a high school education.” Many informal separations occurred as well as having children dropped drastically families were torn apart and many youngsters left home to look for work which was often across the country. World War two was the beginning of economic recovery, people started having interest in having a family again, which marriage and childbearing began to blossom. In the 1950’s there was a lot of racism, sexism, and repression was going around as well social protest, but as the decades passed by families were changing. In today’s society family isn’t just a mother, a father, and children anymore and this is to many people not having that privilege for many different reasons. Some reasons can be that one of the parents has passed away and they have to live with just mom or dad or maybe the parents are always out working and doing other stuff so they don’t quality spending time with their kids. This can make a great impact on those children, it makes them feel incomplete, but as they get older and gain close friends they tend to start

    Read More

  • The Family As A Social Institution

    3202 Words  | 7 Pages

    Sociologists look at society from either a macro or micro view and the theories that define their work are based on those perspectives. There are several family theories that we learned about this semester. Briefly, Structural-Functionalism and Conflict Theory are “macro” theories in sociology. Structural-Functionalism sees society as a living machine made up of different parts which work together for the good of society. Individuals, as well as Institutions work together, and the family is the key to the well-functioning machine. Emile Durkheim, considered the Father of Sociology argues social solidarity, where people do the right thing, create harmony and have shared values. According to Durkheim the nuclear family is the only type of institution that can achieve that. Conflict Theory sees society as a pyramid with those at the top having more power and influence than those at the bottom. Males in society have more power than females. There is a power imbalance, which could lead to oppression o...

    Read More

  • The Function of the Nuclear Family

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    Murdock’s idealised view of the family could now be seen as outdated as it is no longer the most common family structure in Britain today although it can still be used as an argument against other perspectives. While there have been many changes to the structure of the family and the roles performed within it, the nuclear family remains an ideal for the majority of people in society.

    Read More

  • Social Institution

    2229 Words  | 5 Pages

    “A family can be defined as a set of people related by blood, marriage or in some other agreed upon relationship, or adoption, who share primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for member of society". (Schaefer, 2009, p. 288) This leads to a wide open range of interpretation on the exact definition of how a family is truly made up. Depending on your culture, religion, or geographical location a family may represent and be comprised of many different ideals and social norms. There are many theoretical perspectives that have their own interpretations on the subject of what a family is and how it is perceived. I will attempt to expound on three of these perspectives; Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionalism.

    Read More

  • The Family as an Agent of Socialization

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    To thoroughly elaborate on the institution of family we most look at the family as it was before and how much it has changed over time. Throughout the years we are recognizing that the family is slowly being replaced by other agents of socialization. Families in the past consisted of a mother and a father and most times children. We are, as many societies a patriarchal society; men are usually the head of the households. This has always been considered the norm.

    Read More

More about The Family

Open Document